ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
At the spur of the moment, my daughter asked if we wanted to go out and have ramen for lunch. Sounded like a good idea. Since she'd never been to Ramen Fujisan, that's where five of us headed. Located along Valley Blvd in San Gabriel where there are more strip malls than you can shake... Continue Reading →
It's been a particularly curious phenomenon that the Seattle area, claiming as much connection to Japan as any other major U.S. city, has had a mediocre track record as far as having great ramen restaurants. As any ramen fanatic can tell you, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver, B.C., are several steps ahead of Seattle... Continue Reading →
When I started looking for a place to have dinner after a movie, my friend KirkJ suggested Setsuna Japanese Restaurant & Bar in the Northgate area of Seattle. As a restaurant to have ramen, Setsuna fell under my radar as it is not explicitly a ramenya. If I'd read the Yelp reviews carefully, I would have been duly... Continue Reading →
Slowly but surely, the organic and natural food movement is making inroads into the restaurant business. This trend is a good one, especially for those of us who dine out. Personally, I buy organic for home cooking whenever I can, so you could say it's a challenge whenever I eat out. As it stands now,... Continue Reading →
The popularity of kaiten-zushi has revolutionized the eating of sushi since its inception in Japan in the late 1950s. No longer do customers have to sit at a bar with limited seating and order from the sushi chef who promptly and expertly makes it while you wait. Instead, a conveyor belt with ready-made sushi snakes... Continue Reading →
Hot on the heels of the hot dog concept started by Japadog in Vancouver, BC, Seattle saw the opening of Gourmet Dog Japon in 2010 that offered up riffs on the American hot dog with Japanese condiments. Could this work here? The reviews have been positive. As with any adventurous food fusion project, no matter how... Continue Reading →
"Thick noodles or thin?" "Heavy, medium or thin broth?" "Lean pork or pork belly?" "Firm, medium or soft noodles?" "How much oil do you want?" (more on this below) These are the battery of questions you get asked by the wait staff when you order ramen at Ramen Fujisan in San Gabriel. On top of... Continue Reading →
The biggest Asian restaurant opening to hit the Eastside since Din Tai Fung has been that of Kukai Ramen & Izakaya. Kukai is a highly successful ramen chain in Japan. The Bellevue branch is the first in the States. No sooner had Kukai opened its doors than the lines started forming. For weeks, you could... Continue Reading →
One of the under-appreciated Japanese restaurants in Honolulu has to be Jimbo, which specializes in udon. The buses and people lining up in Waikiki suggests that Japanese tour companies favor Marukame Udon, which features make-your-own udon, a concept that has been picked up by U:Don in Seattle's University District. Jimbo is located in a part... Continue Reading →
We were really eager for lunch after the forgettable breakfast on our flight from Auckland. Only a few blocks from our friend's condo where we were staying, we headed straight for Ramen Nakamura on Kalakaua for their specialty, ox-tail ramen. While my usual choice for ramen broth is miso, Nakamura offering it (as well as... Continue Reading →
zoomeboshi 